Tonga

Full name of country: Kingdom of Tonga

Region: Australia-Oceania

Official language: Tongan, English

Population: 104,889 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Tongan(s) (noun), Tongan (adjective)

Land area: 717 sq km

Water area: 30 sq km

Capital: Nuku'alofa

National anthem: "Ko e fasi `o e tu"i `o e `Otu Tonga" (Song of the King of the Tonga Islands), by Uelingatoni Ngu Tupoumalohi/Karl Gustavus Schmitt

National holiday: Official Birthday of King Tupou VI, 4 July (1959); National Day, November 4 (1875)

Population growth: -0.34% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +13

Flag: The flag of Tonga is red with a white canton, or upper hoist (left) quarter. Within the white canton is a centered red cross that does not touch the canton’s edges.

Motto: “Ko e ‘Otua mo Tonga ko hoku tofi’a” (God and Tonga are my heritage)

Independence: June 4, 1970 (from UK protectorate)

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Legal system: English common law

The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago of approximately 170 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The small islands rise and sink, varying the total number of islands over time. Tonga lies south of Samoa, southeast of Fiji, and more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) east of New Caledonia.

There are five main islands or groups of islands within the archipelago: Tongatapu, Ha'apai, Vava'u, 'Eua, and Ongo Niua. Although fewer than fifty islands are inhabited year-round, most of them are developed for agriculture, adapted for tourism, or protected as wilderness.

Tonga is the only monarchy in the Pacific and the last remaining Polynesian kingdom. Its royal family traces its ancestry back more than one thousand years.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: The overwhelming majority of residents—96.5 percent as of 2021—are ethnic Tongans, a primarily Polynesian people with some Melanesian admixture. The remaining non-Tongan residents are mostly from European, Oceanic, and Asian backgrounds.

As of 2021, about 85 percent of the population only speaks Tongan. English is the language of education and international commerce, and it is also widely spoken in tourist areas.

Most Tongans belong to Protestant Christian denominations (63.9 percent in 2021). Missionaries introduced Christianity to Tonga in 1822; in time, they converted Taufa'ahau, king of Ha'apai, and most of his people. Taufa'ahau, who took the Christian name George (Siaosi in Tongan), later united Tonga and became its first king. After Protestantism, the most popular denominations are Church of Jesus Christ (19.7 percent) and Roman Catholicism (13.7 percent).

Approximately 23,000 people (2018 estimate) live in the capital, Nuku'alofa, on the main island of Tongatapu. The city's name means "abode of love" in Tongan.

Indigenous People: Although Tonga may have been inhabited as early as 3000 BCE, carbon dating has confirmed a human presence on the islands only since 1100 BCE. Polynesians are descended from the Lapita people, who arrived in Tonga about 3,500 years ago and first settled on Tongatapu near the present capital. Most anthropologists believe the Lapitas originated in Southeast Asia. Their descendants became warriors, attacking neighboring islands and at times extending the Tongan empire to Samoa and parts of Fiji.

Education: In Tonga, literacy is defined as the ability to read and write in Tongan and/or English. According to this standard, in 2021, 99.4 percent of the adult population was literate.

Schooling in Tonga begins at age six. Primary school lasts for six years, lower secondary goes for five years, and upper secondary school is one year. The majority of secondary schools on the islands are religiously affiliated. Two secondary schools noteworthy for their prestige and history are Tupou College, founded in 1866 and the oldest boys' college (secondary school) in Tonga and reportedly in the entire South Pacific; and Queen Salote College, founded in 1926, a girls' secondary school named for Queen Salote Lupepau'u, a patron of education who reigned from 1918 to 1965. Both are affiliated with the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga.

Postsecondary education options include the Tonga National University and the Tonga Maritime Polytechnic Institute.

The primary university in Tonga is the University of the South Pacific, whose regional campus is located in Nuku'alofa. The private 'Atenisi Institute, which consists of 'Atenisi University and the 'Atenisi Foundation for the Performing Arts, was unrecognized until 2011, when a lawsuit filed against the Tongan government resulted in the school receiving official accreditation.

Health Care: Tongan health care is overseen by the Ministry of Health, which provides free medical and dental care for all citizens, supervises the distribution of pharmaceuticals throughout the islands, and organizes health education programs. Average life expectancy among Tongans is 79.7 years for women and 76.4 years for men (2024 estimates). Tonga's HDI value for 2022 is 0.739— which put the country in the High human development category—positioning it at 98 out of 193 countries and territories.

Few tropical diseases are common in Tonga. A successful government-sponsored immunization, water purification, and sanitation program has limited once-common infectious diseases such as typhoid. However, chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and kidney disease, rose sharply in the twenty-first century, probably due to changes in Tongans' lifestyle and increased dependence on imported processed food.

Several hospitals serve Tonga, including the main national hospital, Vaiola Hospital in Nuku'alofa, which serves Tongatapu; and community hospitals in the most populous of the other administrative divisions ('Eua, Vava'u, and Ha'apai). Other health centers and reproductive and child health clinics are distributed throughout the islands.

Food: Traditional Tongan food is cooked in an umu, an underground oven. Staple dishes rely on sweet potatoes and taro root, coconuts and coconut products, native fruits, fish and shellfish, suckling pig, chicken, and corned beef. Feasts are traditional and lavish: a polah (a long tray made of braided coconut fronds) is prepared and loaded with suckling pig and other meats, seafood, vegetables, and fruits.

Coconut juice is drunk throughout the islands, and kava (Piper methysticum) is drunk for recreational and medicinal purposes. Locally grown arabica coffee, organic and fair-trade certified, is now marketed internationally on the Internet and in specialty shops.

Arts & Entertainment: Tonga's most famous art is probably the lakalaka, a narrative dance that presents folk tales and heroes in spectacle, sound, and motion. The dancers, who can number in the hundreds, sing the story as they act it out, mainly through expressive motions of their hands and feet.

Tonga's musicians are comfortable with Western music, both vocal and instrumental, as well as traditional Polynesian music. The country's literate, educated population has produced more than its share of contemporary writers and poets, though most are little known beyond Oceania.

Tonga's traditional crafts include weaving palm fronds into mats and baskets and carving coconuts, palms, and other wood into useful and beautiful objects. Native woodcarvings adorn the nation's churches. Nuku'alofa's Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, for example, features statuary carved from coconut palm wood and inlaid with mother of pearl.

Ruins of older sacred architecture are found in eastern Tongatapu. Terraced pyramids carved from coral stone date from about 1200 and mark royal graves. The Ha'amonga'a Maui Trilithon, a coral stone arch, is aligned to the winter solstice. Each stone in the trilithon is believed to weigh as much as forty tons.

The Tonga National Cultural Center displays fine examples of native crafts and also offers demonstrations of weaving, carving, canoe making, story-telling, and dancing. In 2018, the center became the temporary seat of government when Cyclone Gita destroyed the Parliament House.

Holidays: Independence Day (June 4) commemorates Tonga's freedom, achieved in 1970, from being a British protectorate, a status essentially imposed on the kingdom in 1896.

The Official Birthday of the King (July 4), which actually marks the king's coronation, is a highlight of the week-long Heilala Festival; the brilliantly-colored heilala, Tonga's national flower, coincidentally blossoms on or about the royal birthday. Flaming torches line the coast of Tongatapu in celebration of both events.

Due to the popularity of Christianity, Easter is celebrated throughout Tonga as a public holiday, as are Good Friday and Easter Monday. Celebrations include special church services as well as passion plays, concerts, choir festivals, and other events.

Environment and Geography

Topography: Most islands in Tonga are limestone, formed from ancient coral reefs. Others are of volcanic origin, with limestone on top of layers of lava. Either way, the result is fertile soil.

The islands vary dramatically, however. Some contain active volcanoes, while others have inactive volcanoes with crater lakes, or volcanic cones and barren lava flows. Some, particularly Ongo Niua and 'Eua, feature tropical rainforests; others have sandy beaches, wide farm fields, or sea cliffs.

The highest point in Tonga is on Kao Island, which rises to an elevation of 1,046 meters (3,431 feet) above sea level. The island of Nomuka, once prized by sailing ships for its freshwater, consists almost entirely of a large, brackish lake. Three islands in the southern Vava'u group (Hunga, Kalau, and Fofua) surround a lagoon so calm it could be a lake.

Tonga's largest city and major port is its capital, Nuku'alofa. Two other ports are Neiafu and Pangai. The country's coastline measures 419 kilometers (260 miles).

Natural Resources: Tonga's natural resources are limited to fish and fertile soil. Offshore oil explorations have so far proved futile.

Plants & Animals: The archipelago is known for its flowering tropical plants, including the scarlet heilala, frangipani, and several native species of hibiscus. Giant ferns flourish in rainforests and beside inland lakes.

Fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, ride thermal currents above the cliffs of 'Eua. They have protected status throughout Tonga. There are two native species of iguana found on the islands. Notable bird species include the red shining parrot, the blue-crowned lorikeet, and the incubator bird, so named because it uses warm volcanic mud for incubating and hatching its eggs.

The coral reefs show much variety; hard and soft corals and the rare black coral all flourish, providing shelter for more than one hundred species of tropical fish.

Deforestation is a threat on many islands, due to the growing population and technological change. Marine ecology is also under siege: some coral reefs have been damaged by shell and coral collectors and by starfish depredation, and overhunting threatens native sea turtles. Tonga, therefore, has established several protected areas (including marine parks) to preserve plants and animals in their habitats.

Climate: Tonga's climate, though tropical, is mild compared to other Pacific islands. There are essentially two seasons: the warm season, from December to May, and the cool season, from May to December.

Temperatures in winter (July to September) vary from 17 to 22 degrees Celsius (62 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit). In summer (December to April), temperatures hover between 25 and 33 degrees Celsius (77 and 91 degrees Fahrenheit). Summers can be humid, but trade winds and the island's distance from the equator have moderating effects. Most of Tonga's rainfall occurs in late summer.

Because Tonga lies directly on the cyclone and typhoon path in the South Pacific, storms pose threats, especially between January and March. Serious storms sweep through the area every few years. Volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou is also a cause for concern, and the volcanic eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai in 2022, combined with the tsunamis triggered by the eruption, caused devastation throughout the country. Experts also warned that Tonga was especially vulnerable to increased temperatures and occurrences of extreme weather events tied to climate change.

Economy

Tonga's economy is based mostly on the service sector, primarily tourism. Young Tongans often find work in other countries, usually New Zealand and Australia. The funds they send home contribute significantly to Tonga's economy.

In 2022, Tonga's estimated gross domestic product (GDP) was US$724.972 million, or a per-capita GDP of US$6,900. Tonga receives economic aid from both Australia and New Zealand.

The 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai eruption heavily disrupted the country's economy and threatened key economic sectors. For example, the World Bank estimated that the country's forestry, fishing, and agriculture industries sustained $20.9 million in damage, while other agencies and groups, including the Tongan government, worried about the long-term impact of the eruption on other sectors, namely tourism.

Industry: Tonga's principal industries are tourism, construction, and fishing. Until recently, fishing was mainly for family meals and tourist sport, but the government is actively encouraging commercial fishing.

Among Tonga's chief trading partners are New Zealand, the US, South Africa, South Korea, and Australia for exports and New Zealand, Fiji, the US, Australia, and China for imports. Tonga participates in the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement, a regional free-trade agreement signed in 2002.

Agriculture: Tonga has long supplied much of the world's vanilla beans. Most are grown on vanilla plantations in western Tongatapu. Tonga's other major cash crops are squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, cocoa, coffee, sweet potatoes, cassava, taro, and kava.

Tongan coffee is praised by tourists. Grown organically in volcanic soil at low altitudes and abiding by fair trade practices, it is sold throughout the world.

Tourism: British captain James Cook, who visited the islands of Tonga in the eighteenth century, named them the Friendly Islands. Tonga's tourism industry has successfully revived the name to encourage visitors. Tonga's tourism industry, like others worldwide, suffered from travel restrictions put in place following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The World Travel and Tourism council reported that tourism accounted for 4 percent of the total GDP in 2022 and 18 percent of employment.

Tourists enjoy the natural diversity of the islands and the recreational activities available, including ocean and freshwater fishing, whale watching, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, swimming, beachcombing, and bird-watching. Visitors can also explore coral reefs, archaeological sites, rainforests, volcanoes, and limestone caves.

Government

The Kingdom of Tonga is a hereditary constitutional monarchy. United as a kingdom in 1845 by George Tupou I, it adopted a constitution in 1875. A British protectorate from 1900, it achieved independence in 1970 and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Its constitution was revised in 1988, strengthening the influence of the monarch, and has undergone many amendments. All citizens over twenty-one may vote.

The executive branch consists of the monarch as chief of state, a prime minister as head of government, a deputy prime minister, and cabinet that is nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch. The monarch is advised by the Privy Council of Tonga.

The legislative branch is the unicameral Legislative Assembly, or Fale Alea. It can have up to thirty members, about two-thirds of whom are elected by direct majority vote and about one-third are elected by hereditary leaders. Members serve four-year terms. The prime minister is selected by the Legislative Assembly and appointed by the monarch.

The judicial branch consists of the Court of Appeal, which presides over the Supreme Court, the magistrate's courts, and the land courts. Judges are appointed by the monarch in Privy Council.

The Kingdom of Tonga has five administrative divisions coinciding with the five main islands or island groups: Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u, Ongo Niua, and 'Eua. The latter is the only division that consists of a single island.

Interesting Facts

• Because of the "Tonga Loop" in the International Date Line, Tonga was the first country in the world to greet the twenty-first century and the new millennium.
• During one of his visits to Tonga, James Cook presented the king with a tortoise. Named Tu'i Maila, the tortoise was between 188 and 192 years old when it died in 1965.
• Tonga's Queen Salote showed respect at the coronation of Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth in 1953 by sitting exposed to the rain.
• Olympic martial artist Pita Taufatofua competed in cross-country skiing at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, Korea, making him the second Tongan ever to enter the Winter Games and the first to compete in both Summer and Winter Games.
• The US opened an embassy in Tonga for the first time in 2023.

Bibliography

Associated Press. “Tonga Needs Over $90 Million to Start Repairs From Volcano.” US News & World Report, 16 Feb. 2022, www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-02-16/tonga-needs-over-90-million-to-start-repairs-from-volcano. Accessed 26 May 2022.

Human Development Report 2022. United Nations Development Programme, 13 Mar 2024, hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf‗1.pdf. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

Rodney, Anna, et al. The Kingdom of Tonga Health System Review. Edited by Maxine Whittaker and Rodney, vol. 5, no. 6, Asia Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, World Health Organization, 2015. Institutional Repository for Information Sharing, iris.wpro.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665.1/11371/9789290617198‗eng.pdf. Accessed 31 Aug. 2015.

“Tonga.” CIA World Factbook, 16 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/tonga. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

Tonga: 2023 Annual Research—Key Highlights. World Travel and Tourism Council, 2023, assets-global.website-files.com/6329bc97af73223b575983ac/645a6adc98e53fd792e94752‗Tonga2023‗.pdf. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.